e story of how a unique new town and huge Air Force base grew from the Oklahoma wheatfields as World War II began. It is also the memoir of my years growing up there and how the place influenced me and my friends. The town is Midwest City, the airbase is Tinker, and the early ponies were from the faraway Shetland Islands. The ups and downs of how we all co-existed and helped each other overcome obstacles and grow in the 1950s and 1960s, is a story that can resonate with anyone, especially those who grew up near a military installation. Host towns of military bases take on certain risks caused by the activity at the base, but they also reap the rewards. A different kind of culture arises there, and it affects the inhabitants in different ways. The is a book that addresses the question, "How much of who I am is where I'm from?"